typically do not leave reviews so when I do it's either absolutely phenomenal or far In comparison. Epicurean Escape Catering was by far PHENOMENAL! Matt and Patrick were extremely friendly and the food was to die for! We celebrated our microwedding in Mill Valley and I have always selected new restaurants based on yelps top reviewed restaurants. I figured this would be the best way to go to select a catering option for an area we're not local to or able to try before in person. The reviews did not steer us wrong. We would love to book again after experiencing the food and stellar service. Appetizers: We ordered the heirloom tomato bruschetta which was one of my favorites! The tomatoes were fresh and every bite was memorable! The goat cheese croquettes were to die for and the braised pork shoulder had everyone coming back for more! Dinner: I'm not a huge kale person but we had an amazing kale Caesar salad that had me hoping I could recreate it at home. I honestly don't think there was any left over! It was accompanied by the grilled antipasto platter which complemented the lasagna dinner we had perfectly! The vegetables were cooked and seasoned to perfection! We had the classic bolognese lasagna and red wine braised boneless beef short ribs for our dinner option which were gone in the blink of an eye. Dessert: To top it off, we finished with the mini amaretto panna cotta and blackberry coulis. They were as delicious as they were aesthetically appealing! read more

See all

Think twice (or more) and don't do it! A group of four couples (hailing from Michigan to New Mexico) were flying into Napa for a long-planned get-together. We rented a home through VRBO and thought it would be a treat to have a catered meal from Epicurean Escape. The price was over $1000 but seemed well worth it and we paid the bill 10 days prior to our arrival. Unfortunately, if not unbelievably, we were alerted by VRBO the very next day that our contract was being cancelled as the rental house had just been purchased by a new owner. Thinking we might have to cancel the trip as VRBO might not have an alternative (they did not), we immediately contacted the caterer that we would have to cancel plans. This was 9 days prior to the planned dinner. The caterer then informed us that this was beyond their normal 10 day cancellation policy and there was nothing they could do other than a (hold your breath) 25% refund!! provide a 'credit' - a great idea for a group of 8 with most of us living thousands of miles away, or assisting us in relocating to a new venue. We eventually located a hotel where we could stay and proceeded with the trip - still very much disappointed with the caterer for not refunding our money with 9 days prior notice (along with forwarding them the note of cancellation from VRBO). With a $150 delivery fee charged by the caterer for delivery to our hotel, and no way for us to warm the food in our rooms, we anticipated the meal would arrive on serving trays with sterno heaters. But of course not.. The server who delivered the food was very nice and accommodating (we tipped them as well even though the paid contract already included an 18% gratuity fee). We began eating immediately, only to find all the food (fish and beef main courses) at room temperature. Perhaps everything would have tasted better had it been heated, but classifying the meal as 'mediocre' would be overly kind. Making matters worse (if that's possible), we have been promised a 'final' contract as three of the planned attendees could not attend, and the caterer agreed to 'adjust', only to never hear back from them almost 2 weeks later. Inflexible policy + less than thrilling meals = at least in my book, an experience worth avoiding at all costs. Caveat emptor. read more

Chef Matt and his team are absolutely unbeatable!! If you're looking for someone who is able to execute something a bit out of the norm, or even the normalist of things , you will not find anyone better than Epicurean Escape Catering. My husband and I were set on having pupusas for our wedding, and it was a surprisingly difficult thing to accomplish. From all of our efforts and research, pupuserias don't really do wedding catering, and wedding caterers don't really do pupusas, but Chef Matt pulled it off for us on a whole nother level of excellence! When we originally reached out to him, he just said that they could do it, and we were ecstatic. At our first tasting, he had already gone to his local pupusa spot to analyze the timing, and watch the whole process. He hadn't done pupusas before, but had the drive, determination, and confidence to pull it off for us. When our wedding day came, we along with every one of our guests were absolutely blown away by the quality of every bit of food and drinks that they provided us all with. He was able to find the wife of a Salvadoran friend, and her mother, to help him make them all fresh on our wedding day, on a plancha that they were able to bring. The vibe was incredible, the food was impeccable, and even the Salvadorans attending were incredibly impressed. From the yucca fries to the plantain chips, from the guacamole to the curtido, from the coffee to the agua frescas, from the salsas to the amazing service, from the compostable serving ware to the incredible bartender. People still can't stop raving. The pupusas, the dips, the black chili salsa, the coffee, just everything. Kharma worked with us relentlessly over every tiny detail to get all of it right, and everything came together SO beautifully, and went SO smoothly without even the smallest hitch. Chef Matt and the Epicurean Escape Catering team literally made our dreams come true. We cannot recommend them enough!!! read more

Epicurean Escape Catering - Caterers Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

I can't say enough about Matt and his team!! They exceeded my expectations for sure. I was having a holiday cocktail party in my home for 30 and didn't want to cook. Matt and Nina helped me put together an awesome menu of hors d'oeuvres, sweet treats and a specialty cocktail. They also were able to bring an amazing bartender with the team who really added to the fun. The Truffled Mushroom Mac & Cheese, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Filet Mignon Canapes, Thai Peanut Chicken Satays, and Margherita Pizzas were a hit! Everyone was raving. We also got cheese and crudite platters. They were super helpful with keeping tables clean and refilling trays. I would definitely recommend them to friends and plan on using them for future events. read more

This team is not only extremely talented but also such a lovely company to work with. Prior to my event I worked with Kharma and Chef Matt. Matt is very knowledgeable and depending on your budget he will make your customized menu for your taste. Working with him was seamless and easy. He customized a 3 course meal for a 27 person event for me that had tastes of Italy. On the day of the event Chef Sol and Tosh were on duty. From the beginning they exhibited professionalism and made my event so beautifully memorable. I was celebrating my 50th birthday- a big milestone for me. My guests have all raved about the food even two days later. My 24 year old son said "this is the best tasting food I've ever had". I didn't take it personally because I knew what he meant. What really cemented me raving about this company was the level of compassion they had. There was a small incident at the place I was holding the event and when Tosh saw my mood change she felt it and said a word of encouragement to me. I won't ever forget it. Business is business and you can do it with whomever but I will forever do business and recommend this one to anyone looking for a private chef in Northern California. Top notch excellent food and service. Don't wait - book them!! read more

See all

Absolutely amazing ownership & organization in general. Great service. This company donated their time, food and energy to a benefit event without asking anything in return. The food was amazing, the service was excellent and the owner (Matthew) was extremely personable. Would absolutely work with them again. read more

Chef Matt and his team catered a dinner for my husband's 50th birthday in Sonoma this past weekend and it was fantastic. We had the Neoclassical Italian menu - everything was delicious and everyone raved about the food. The service was awesome, including that we had some last minute timing changes as not all our guests had arrived by the time dinner was supposed to start and the team kept things flowing but flexible. And the kitchen was spotless when they left. I would ask them to cater another event without hesitation. read more

Chef Matt and sous-chef Phil did an AMAZING job for us at our girls weekend birthday celebration. He is talented, engaging, and knowledgeable. Amazing array of the hors d'ouerves, main course, and dessert--much sourced from his own garden. A truly unique experience, complement to any Napa, Sonoma, or Santa Rosa visit. read more

Epicurean Escape Catering - Caterers Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

This biz was great! We used them to cater a 20 person anniversary party at Hans Fahden and everything was super easy. Kharma was my main point of contact and she was very communicative, timely, and dependable. The prices are fair and the food was sooooo delicious! The mushroom Mac n cheese and tomato gazpacho were my favorites. The lavender lemonade was a guest favorite a the tomato bruschetta was delightfully garlic forward. I'm getting hungry writing this. I would definitely recommend this biz to friends and family. read more

Although I wasn't able to book Matt for my event due to some last minute changes on my side, he was extremely responsive and flexible with all of my questions and potential requests. Plus, his menu was one of the most scrumptious and diverse out of all the catering companies I've researched in the area at a reasonable price. I would highly recommend Epicurean Escape to anyone! read more

We visited over 10 wineries during the passport weekend and Chef Matts pork belly was the best small bite out of over 10 wineries. We didn't get a try his chicken and waffle skewers as we didn't make it to that winery but I wish we could've been good job, Matt and staff well done!!!!! read more

Matt can cook. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner from them. Good quality ingredients. Coherent flavor profiles. Generous and varied enough that I didn't feel like I missed out by not cooking. As a bonus, they are very nice people. I wish I had found them years ago. read more

Chef Matt catered an awesome family celebration dinner for us in Bodega Bay and everything was top notch from beginning to end. He is such a wonderful chef and superb human being. The dishes were delicious and beautifully presented. I can highly recommend Epicurean Escape catering. read more

Recently we had Epicurean Escape cater my daughter and son-in-laws wedding of about 115 people . It's a little pricey but Chef Matt and team did a wonderful job. We had several dishes from appetizers to dinner. The food was hot and delicious and there was plenty of it. We used the left over the next day for a gathering of family and friends that were here from Chile. The service was fabulous and the team friendly and on task. We would use them again should any occasion cross our paths. read more

I was fortunate enough to work with Kharma and Chef Matt to cater both lunches and dinners for my three-day yoga retreat this past summer. First and foremost, they are a delight to work with and I was very confident they would deliver amazing meals for the yogis. As expected, all of the meals were a hit and the yogis loved every delicious bite!!! The first night we enjoyed a vegan taco bar and yummy tres leches cupcakes. Day two was a choice of green vegetable or chicken coconut curry over rice along with mango sticky rice; to die for. The final night we had a vegetable or chicken tagine with apricots, cinnamon and preserved lemons over quinoa; this was everyone's favorite. I am planning another retreat this coming summer and would not think of working with anyone else. One last call-out, do order Matt's Chocolate Chip Cookies and his chocolate avocado mousse, you will thank me later. read more

Chef Matt and team catered a custom "Asian American Fusion" menu for my wedding of 112 guests in Santa Rosa. They went above and beyond what I expected a catering team to do. Initially communication was very smooth. They addressed all my requests, answered all my questions and worked with everyone's allergies and diet restrictions. There were some small hiccups with coordinators switching in and out, but in the end everyone that I worked with was very professional and I couldn't have asked for a better catering team! Food: Amazing. I have some major foodies in my family and they said the food was great! We also really loved some of the veggies from Chef Matt's very own garden! I wished I had room and time to eat seconds! Presentation: We got the baos and I loved the presentation in the giant dim sum baskets! I also requested a small plate of appetizers since my husband and I were taking photos during that time. I was pleasantly surprised on how lovely our appetizer plate was set for us. Service: They did an amazing job setting up my reception and dessert tables. It looked like a Pinterest wedding! The next day I went back to do final clean up, and they did a great job with clean up too! read more

See all

Chef Matt and Daisy are two kind souls who've created a uniquely wonderful catering service with the absolute best food imaginable! They were both amazing to work with throughout the wedding planning process and perfectly executed our family style meal. Chef Matt's food is elevated, creative, and thoughtful while Daisy and her friendly staff's service skills are polished and well prepared. Every aspect was exceptional, and all of our guests continue to talk about the delicious food and drinks at our wedding. The Epicurean Team also prepared and delivered our amazing brunch service the day after the wedding, which I highly recommend! Their prices are unparalleled and Chef Matt will work with you to create a fun and distinctive menu that showcases sustainable, local, and seasonal ingredients. I strongly recommend hiring them for all your event needs, and I'm dreaming of the next time I get to taste Chef Matt's incredible food! read more

See all

Epicurean Escape created a vegan fajita feast for a family birthday celebration and it was out of this world! The food far exceeded our expectations- it was fresh, flavorful, artful, fun and delicious. The homemade chips and various homemade salsas and hot sauce were incredible! The jackfruit carnitas were amazing! My vegan parents were so impressed and pleased and the whole family enjoyed it. We look forward to our next opportunity to use or recommend their culinary services! read more

Wow, just wow!! We stumbled upon Epicurean Escape Catering while planning our wedding, they had worked at our venue once before. As soon as we sat down for a tasting we knew we had to go with them. The head chef Matt is a genius! His creations are absolutely to die for and his helpful and kind nature instantly won us over. The rest of the team was attentive and responsive throughout the entire planning process. They went above and beyond and helped us when the unexpected came up. Our wedding wouldn't have been half as enjoyable if not for Epicurean Escape! read more

See all

My husband and I had our wedding May 26th 2018 and we went with Epicurean to cater. We decided on the drop off option because our venue included service for us. Their food was a hit!!! Everyone loved it and went in for seconds. I would highly recommend this place; decent prices, great tasting food and really nice people. read more

Epicurean Escape Catering - Caterers Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Chef Matt and his team catered our wine country wedding and they were phenomenal. We had multiple guests comment on how delicious the food was at both our rehearsal dinner and our wedding reception. They were extremely flexible and accommodating in working with us through two COVID-related postponements. I still think about the paella and cedar-plank salmon Matt and his team cooked for us. I couldn't recommend Epicurean Escape Catering more! read more

Just finished a corporate event for around 20 people with Chef Matt and his team -- super delicious, inventive food that was really fresh. Thoughtful wine choices to go with the food as well. His team was professional and attentive, and just really nice. Finally, it was at our house, and they left the place spotless. Definitely would use them again. read more

Last weekend my husband surprised me with a birthday weekend get away to the Healdsburg area. One of the highlights was the catered meal on Saturday night by Epicurean Escape Catering. Lynette and LB did such a wonderful job. The food was amazing! From the appetizers to the dessert, it was mouth watering! The chefs made me feel special and loved with adding all the little extra touches - balloons, flowers, special cupcake, taking photos and sharing them, and so much more. Thank you! If I could give you more STARS, I would. You are awesome! read more

Just joined the Epicurean Escape sunday supper club, and had a fantastic meal delivered. Great food delivered on time and a terrific presentation with details on how to reheat safely. This meal was really a bright spot in the grey skies of sheltering in place. read more

The dynamic duo, Matt and Daisy, catered my husband's birthday party at our place in Hayward, CA on 11/29/19. It was a video-game-theme party, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and needed special attention to detail and culinary creativity. First off, Matt and Daisy were more than willing to cater the day after Thanksgiving when almost every other caterer I spoke with turned me down because they were either closed, or couldn't keep their kitchen open for a small party of 12 guests. Secondly, they eagerly took on the challenge of developing a custom video-game-theme menu, did their research, and put together an exquisite line-up of dishes that were beautiful, flavorful, extraordinarily delicious, organic, and made with love. Thirdly, in addition to the menu we had agreed on, they spontaneously created some fantastic veggie sliders for the unexpected vegetarian guest, added a few more fun hors d'oeuvres that they created using ingredients in my kitchen, served the guests, looked out for me - the host - so I was not fretting over food and drink - but was enjoying the party with my guests, cleaned up, and wrapped-up some fantastic leftovers for me to enjoy over the weekend. They also made a diabetic-friendly dessert for the birthday boy, who enjoyed it so much that he ended up eating most of it himself. Matt and Daisy are hard-working, passionate, and extremely talented. Other than sharing your dietary restrictions and vegetable/meat choices, put your trust in them, give them the freedom to build the menu, and they will take you on a gastronomical adventure you and your guests will remember and talk about for a long time to come. Thank you, Matt and Daisy! read more

Epicurean Escape Catering - Gumba desserts; Matcha flavored pudding - Caterers Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

See all

Just hosted, on short notice, a "Celebration of Life" for my brother, who worked for years in the food industry. A big majority of our guests were food industry professionals. Matt brought our event together with speed and professionalism, not to mention just the right amount of services to ensure our event's success. His staff was courteous, good natured, and did an excellent job. And "five stars" for the food, as every attendee had nothing to say but how fabulous it was. I'd highly recommend Epicurean Escape Catering for events both big and small. read more

We hired Epicurean for a small dinner for ten and they exceeded our expectations. The food was delicious and the Owner was very friendly and informative about the food. I would highly recommend hiring them for your next event, we will defiantly be hiring them again. Five stars! read more

These guys TOTALLY rocked it for my 30th birthday. We were 20 people up at a large house in Geyserville, and Matthew and his team provided a spectacular three-course meal with the highest quality level of service. Epicurean worked very closely with me to come up with a menu that would work with my budget. We got very creative - for example we brought our own cake up from SF - and we got to a price that was super reasonable. On the day of the party, the team let themselves into the house and got straight to work. They gave me great advice about where to set up everything, they set the tables, served passed appetizers, poured everyone drinks, and then serviced a delightful plated meal. My guests were literally raving about the salmon into the next day. Highly recommend! read more

I'm a Mac n Cheese lover and just had the best EVER!! Matthew is a culinary genius who makes simple, challenging and elegant dishes better than you can imagine. Brilliant! read more

I love this catering company. It's one of the best out there. We just had them do our anniversary party and we loved the food they prepared. We had a taco style bar and the guests were raving about it. A few of my guests are Mexican Food diehards and they noted how the rice and meat were some of the best they ever tasted. The food was beyond what we could imagine. Matt is an exceptional cook and his team does an outstanding job. You want your guests talking about the food for days afterwards then this is the place to have cater your next event. We had a dulce de leche cupcake for dessert and it was so soft. People's stomachs were stirring just from the smell. Matt made fresh chips, tortillas, and used top notch ingredients. So grateful to Matt and his team for their help. They setup and clean up everything. Very professional and fun to have at the party. read more

Wow! Epicurean Escape pulled it all together for a 65th anniversary with an English Tea Theme!! We hosted 88 people and everyone had such nice words to say. Chef Matthew came by on the eve before while we were decorating to introduce himself and to ask if there was anything that we needed. Michael and his staff(so sorry that I forgot her name--great person!) were marvelous on the day of the event. (October 7, 2017) I have nothing but nice words for this whole team!! Thanks so much, karen robidoux read more

A-MA-ZING!!! The food that these guys put out is unreal! My fiancée and I went for a tasting a few weeks ago and immediately knew that they were going to cater our wedding next summer. Their demeanor has been easy-going from our first conversation and they have been very flexible with any requests that we have had. We are looking forward to eating their amazing food again at our wedding and will update afterwards :) read more

Celebrated my friend's 50th last night with a group--we had flown in from all over the country. Chef Matthew and his team were amazing. The food was delicious, plentiful, and spot on. The servers were friendly and attentive. And they brought all supplies, plates, etc and left a spotless kitchen behind. I would totally recommend them to anyone, and expect to spread the word a lot in the coming weeks! read more

Chef Matt, Daisy, and their team made our backyard wedding a great experience for our families, and they made my life so much easier from the planning stages to the day of the event. They coordinated all our rentals and delivered them the day before. During the event, without being asked, they really took charge of the entire reception area including setting up our cake, decorating the buffet table, and setting up our drinks. We worked with them to customize our menu, and they were very accommodating and flexible with the several changes we made, and it turned out all super delicious and approved by our picky friends and family. They took care of cleanup too and even packed to-go boxes for our guests. For a DIY event like ours, I would absolutely trust this team to take care of the little details you wouldn't even think of and to make sure your event runs smoothly. Thank you Epicurean Escape team! read more

Epicurean Escape Catering - Caterers Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

See all

Cannot say enough good things about Epicurean Escape. Matt is a master chef and incredibly kind. Everyone at our wedding raved about the food and the pricing was perfect for our budget. The staff went above and beyond to make our wedding perfect. read more

Outstanding catering service and delicious food. Matt and his staff are wonderful and Matt is a culinary gem.

Kim-Chee Rice. Wow. Food is totally interestingly awesome. Go for it! You won't regret it

Matthew and Melissa were great for my 40th birthday bash. We hammered out a great menu and Chef Matthew was flexible in what I wanted for the party. The food was awesome, the guests were happy and raved about many of the dishes (have him make tuna poke...holy moly), and they were pleasant and easy to work with. They left the kitchen in better shape than they found it, and I would use them again for another event without a second thought. read more

We had the most amazing dining experience last evening. Matthew prepared an outstanding meal in the home we are renting in Healdsburg. We enjoyed every course, and he was such a delight as well. What a wonderful evening! We will definitely use him again the next time we visit the area. read more

We have worked together on several occasions over the past 3+ years at our winery in the Dry Creek Valley. The flavors and aromas of each and every dish have been outstanding. Everything that Chef Matt has made for us has been perfectly garnished with an appealing presentation and he used lots of local ingredients. Epicurean Escape Catering is easy to work with - Matt is compassionate, flexible and understanding of the client's wishes. You also can not beat his competitive pricing! read more